Lauri Markkanen or Zion Williamson? Week 3
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), PFs ranked 9th and 12th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Nov 3, 2:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 37.6
- 9-cat
- #17
- Last 6 FP
- 28.8
4 games in Week 3
Week 3 pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The Week 3 call
Points leagues, Week 3 (Nov 2-8): start Lauri Markkanen. Both have 3 games left in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), so it comes down to per game: 37.6 fantasy points to 36.4.
9-cat leagues: Lauri Markkanen again, 8.5 category value for the week to 1.0.
Lauri Markkanen's minutes are down: 27.5 a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, against 32.8 on the board.
Zion Williamson played 32.1 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, in line with his 30.5 on the board.
This is the call for one lineup slot across the week, the way weekly-lock leagues play it. In a daily-lineup league, start whichever of the two plays that night, and both when they fit.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8), side by side
| This week | Lauri Markkanen | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 3 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 27.5 (last 5) | 32.1 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 32.8 | 30.5 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 17.0 | 13.5 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 112.9 | 109.1 |
| Projected 9-cat value | 8.5 | 1.0 |
Schedule: Lauri Markkanen Mon @SAS, Wed @NOP, Fri @DAL, Sun @MIN. Zion Williamson Mon @MEM, Wed UTA, Fri MIN, Sun @LAC.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Lauri Markkanen | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 71.4 | 63.3 |
| Rebounds | 19.9 | 16.7 |
| Assists | 6.1 | 9.2 |
| Steals | 2.7 | 4.6 |
| Blocks | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Threes | 8.2 | 0.4 |
| Turnovers | 4.2 | 6.2 |
Each projection is the board's per-game line times the games counted; a player listed Out counts none. 9-cat value is the per-game category score (z-scores against the top 156) times games. Minutes and shots per 36 come from the last 5 games of 2026-27. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Lauri Markkanen, 37.6 fantasy points per game to 36.4.
9-cat leagues: Lauri Markkanen again, 17th overall against 49th.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Lauri Markkanen | Zion Williamson |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 37.6 | 36.4 |
| Minutes | 32.8 | 30.5 |
| PointsPTS | 23.8 | 21.1 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.6 | 5.6 |
| AssistsAST | 2.0 | 3.1 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 1.5 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Threes3PM | 2.7 | 0.1 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.7% | 61.1% |
| Free throw %FT% | 89.3% | 72.3% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.4 | 2.1 |
Bold is the better number. Per-game lines blend last season with this one, the same numbers the rankings use.
Other close calls
Week 3 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Is Lauri Markkanen playing tonight? · Is Zion Williamson playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Lauri Markkanen or Zion Williamson in Week 3?
Points leagues, Week 3 (Nov 2-8): start Lauri Markkanen. Both have 3 games left in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), so it comes down to per game: 37.6 fantasy points to 36.4. 9-cat leagues: Lauri Markkanen again, 8.5 category value for the week to 1.0. Lauri Markkanen's minutes are down: 27.5 a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, against 32.8 on the board. Zion Williamson played 32.1 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, in line with his 30.5 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Lauri Markkanen or Zion Williamson?
Points leagues: Lauri Markkanen, 37.6 fantasy points per game to 36.4. 9-cat leagues: Lauri Markkanen again, 17th overall against 49th.
Who wins more categories, Lauri Markkanen or Zion Williamson?
Lauri Markkanen is ahead in 5 (points, rebounds, threes, free throw percentage, turnovers); Zion Williamson in 3 (assists, steals, field goal percentage), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number